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Nicki Minaj.

Onika Tanya Maraj

Nicki Minaj
Born St. James
Citizenship Trinidad and Tobago
Age 43 yr Today

TL;DR

Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj on December 8, 1982, became one of the best-selling female rappers of all time. Discovered by Lil Wayne, her 2010 debut album ‘Pink Friday’ debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. She has won over 28 major awards, including the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2022. As of 2025, she has released three platinum studio albums.

At a glance.

STATS

Nicki Minaj by the numbers — life, work, and family.

43 Age
52 Film credits
15 Awards
1 Marriage

Family ties.

KIN · 2

The relatives of Nicki Minaj — parents, partners, children, and siblings.

SPOUSES
Kenneth Petty
SIBLINGS
Ming Maraj

Who is Nicki Minaj?

BIOGRAPHY

Nicki Minaj — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.

Early life

Nicki Minaj was born in St. James, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago on December 8, 1982. She moved to Queens, New York at age five with her family. Her father struggled with drug addiction before reforming after rehab and church attendance. She attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, where she studied singing and acting. She lost her voice on the day of her planned audition for the drama program, but her passion for performance never waned.

Career

In April 2007, Minaj released her first mixtape Playtime Is Over. Her 2008 mixtape Sucka Free earned her Female Artist of the Year at the Underground Music Awards. The 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty drew positive reviews from BET and MTV. Lil Wayne noticed her and signed her to Young Money Entertainment. Her debut album Pink Friday 2010 was a massive success, followed by Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded 2012 and The Pinkprint 2014, all achieving platinum status. She has collaborated with artists like Britney Spears, and in 2022 she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.

Personal life

She married childhood friend Kenneth Petty on October 21, 2019. They have one son, Papa Bear Petty, born September 30, 2020. She was previously in a relationship with rapper Meek Mill from April 2015 to January 2017. She has three siblings: older brother Jelani, younger brother Micaiah, and younger sister Ming. Her many alter egos include Roman Zolanski and Barbie.

Legacy

Many credit Nicki Minaj with reviving female rap in the 2010s. She has influenced a generation of artists and holds records, including being the most followed rapper on social media with over 200 million followers. She received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards. Her alter egos and bold fashion sense have made her a cultural icon. She is remembered for her rapid-fire delivery, colorful music videos, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Filmography.

FILMS · 52

Browse the complete filmography of Nicki Minaj — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.

  1. TV Poster for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

    The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

  2. TV Poster for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

  3. TV Poster for Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

    Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen

  4. TV Poster for The Graham Norton Show

    The Graham Norton Show

  5. TV Poster for Saturday Night Live

    Saturday Night Live

  6. TV Poster for Late Show with David Letterman

    Late Show with David Letterman

  7. TV Poster for American Idol

    American Idol

  8. TV Poster for RuPaul's Drag Race

    RuPaul's Drag Race

  9. TV Poster for The Ellen DeGeneres Show

    The Ellen DeGeneres Show

  10. TV Poster for Steven Universe

    Steven Universe

  11. TV Poster for Keeping up with the Kardashians

    Keeping up with the Kardashians

  12. TV Poster for America's Next Top Model

    America's Next Top Model

  13. TV Poster for MTV Movie & TV Awards

    MTV Movie & TV Awards

  14. TV Poster for MTV Video Music Awards

    MTV Video Music Awards

Awards & honors.

AWARDS · 13

Every award, honor, and recognition received by Nicki Minaj — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.

  • BET Award for Best New Artist
  • American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album
  • Billboard Music Award for Rising Star
  • American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
  • MTV Video Music Award for Best Hip-Hop Video
  • MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video
  • MTV Europe Music Award for Best Hip-Hop
  • People's Choice Award for Favorite Hip Hop Artist
  • BET Award for Best Hip-Hop Artists
  • BET Award for Viewer's Choice
  • Brit Award for British Video of the Year
  • People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Artist
  • Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award

Notable quotes.

QUOTES · 7

A wall of memorable lines from Nicki Minaj — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.

  • I Know Right Now She Has No Idea Who I Am, but I’d Like to Collaborate with Enya One Day. of Course I’d Love to Work with Jay Z, Maybe Even Phil Collins. I Love His Voice.

  • Don’t Get It Twisted. It’s Not About Money, It’s Not About the Fame. It’s About I Don’t Have to Worry About If My Little Brother Is Gonna Be Able to Get a New Toy for Christmas. It’s Those Little Tiny Things That Really Make up the Bigger Picture. So, My Happiness Doesn’t Come from Money or Fame. My Happiness Comes from Seeing Life Without Struggle.

  • When You’re a Girl, You Have to Be Everything, You Have to Be Dope at What You Do, but You Have to Be Super Sweet, and You Have to Be Sexy, and You Have to Be This and You Have to Be That and You Have to Be Nice, and You Have to It’s Like, I Can’t Be All of Those Things at Once. I’m a Human Being.

  • I Don’t Think Intimidated Is the Word. I Definitely Get Excited by It. I Don’t Want to Let Anybody Down. I’ve Always Been the Type of Person to Make Everybody Happy and Get Things Done. I Want Everything to Be 100% Perfect. I Do Feel It When People Hold Me to High Expectations.

  • Wayne Has Always Been My Biggest Influence. It’s Weird Because I Sit Down and Talk to Wayne Like He’s Just a Regular Human Being, and Then I Walk on Stage with Him and There’s 20,000 People Screaming for Him.

  • As Long as a Nipple Didn’t Come Out to Play, I’m Fine.

  • My Cousin in Trinidad Won’t Get the Vaccine Cuz His Friend Got It & Became Impotent. His Testicles Became Swollen.

Did you know?

FACTS · 24

Little-known facts about Nicki Minaj — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.

You wanted to know.

FAQ · 36

Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Nicki Minaj.